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Eco-Centre tours kick off Canada Waste Reduction Week

Reduce, reuse and recycle. The keys to saving the environment remain the same.

Oct. 16 to 22 represents Canada Waste Reduction Week. Alberta Environment and Parks annually works with the Peace Regional Waste Management Company (PRWMC), local schools, municipal districts and counties to help promote better awareness of the importance of reducing wastes.

From Oct. 18-19 student tours will take place at the Peace Regional Eco-Centre where attendees will get an inside look as to how materials such as cardboard, paper, plastics, glass, metal, branches and end-of-life electronics are processed for recycling.

Environment and Parks' Community Engagement Lead Norman Brownlee says that the Waste Reduction Week focus remains on the three Rs. Reduce, reuse and recycle.

“The most important, and the most difficult to achieve, is reduce,” said Brownlee.

Browlnee explained that we live in a world where every one wants something new. From toys and cars to electronics and furniture, not making full use of existing items places additional demands on a variety of limited natural resources and increase wastes going into our environment.

That's where reusing comes in. Instead of buying new use put-and-take, or take it or leave it, community sites or garages sales to extend the life of items.

Finally recycling, where an items can be broken down and be used to make new products.

“It takes far less energy to produce new products from recycled metals, plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, etc. than to start from raw materials,” explained Brownlee. “Living by these three Rs makes sense in our households, for our economy and for our environment.”

According to last year's diversion results cardboard was the top contributor to waste with a volume of 477 metric tonnes being collected at the Eco-Centre and landfill. Clean lumber was the second-most collected at 439 metric tonnes followed by cement at 411 metric tonnes. Rounding out the top 10 were brush and organics, tin and other metals, tires, community blue bags, paper, electronics, and plastic. In total 2,113.3 metric tonnes of community waste materials were diverted by the PRWMC in 2016.

On Oct. 20 from noon to 2 p.m. a public BBQ and site tour will be hosted at the Eco-Centre where waste reduction tips at home and in the community as a whole will be discussed.